i currently live in brooklyn. back in january i woke up and a few hours passed. when i was at work i had this intense burning sensation. when i went to the bathroom, i found that on my back right thigh, i had 3 extremely itchy, red welts. two days later, at work, i noticed the exact same welts in the same exact spot, only on my other back thigh.

since then, ive never been bit again and ive never seen evidence of bed bugs. yesterday, i was taking m sheets off my bed and i noticed a brown dot. upon further inspection, i think it might be a dead bed bug. i have a memory foam matress and it has a casing around it. the dead bug was found on top of the casing, but under my sheet. so sandwiched where i guess it couldnt get me?

i am FREAKING OUT. i actually have someone who is interested in buying the mattress. this was of course all before i found the bug. what should i do? am i freaking out for no reason? i dont really get when or why bed bugs go dormant, if they do? it seems like if people have them, they bite them routinely. i have not had any bites or anything weird on my body since january, so 7 months. and i react VERY badly to all kinds of insect bites. so i know i would react if i were being bit.

im worried im going to move these bugs into my new apartment. help! do i go through the necessary motions of washing all my clothes on high heat? ive checked my sheets. no blood. no spots. ive lifted my mattress. and since its memory foam there are no real large creases or places for them to hide. i havent seen anything.